Car buyers shrugged off the gloom surrounding the terrorist attacks on the US to make last month the best September on record for dealers, industry monitors have said.

The number of cars sold last month hit 443,265, one-quarter more than in September last year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said.

The rise keeps this year's UK car sales, at 1.96 million so far, on track to break the 2.39 million record set in 1989.

While many observers had expected the shock of last month's atrocities to prompt purchase delays and cancellations, the introduction of the new-style licence plates underpinned demand from private buyers, Thursday's report showed.

"September figures suggest little change in new car buying patterns following the tragic events of 11 September," the report said.

"Buyers clamoured for the all-new registration plate format."

SMMT chief executive Christopher Macgowan said: "Total September registrations were far better than we had predicted and the really positive thing is that private buyers were responsible for the sales surge."